Edmund Pevensie: To be a King
by Red Dragon - Jura
Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. Edmund-Centric. Sibling Fic. Quite Angsty.
1. The Argument

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: I am a major Narnia fan, but having discovered it through the movies and therefore not having read all the books yet, this will be a movie-verse fic. However, I am going to try and write it in the style of CS Lewis, with the first paragraph being an excerpt from the LLW book in this first chapter to help with the set up. I had started writing this a while back and have now decided to edit it and post it. I hope you like it, and please review once you've finished! I accept criticism, but only if it's constructive. That means no flames! Please be kind, as this is my first Narnia fic.

Chapter One: The Argument.

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air raids. They were sent to the house of an old professor who lived in the heart of the country, ten miles from the nearest railway station and two miles from the nearest post office. He had no wife and he lived in a large house with a housekeeper called Mrs Macready and three servants. (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Chapter One)

This man was called Professor Digory Kirke, and he had lived in the house since his childhood. One might wonder why a man would stay in the same house all his life, but Professor Kirke liked this house because he thought it to have an air of magic surrounding it.

Now Professor Kirke was actually true in his thoughts, despite what others would say as, when he was younger, he had travelled to a magical land called Narnia, ruled by the mighty Lion Aslan. When he had travelled back from Narnia, he had brought with him an apple, with which, he had created an apple tree. When the apple tree eventually died, he had used the wood to carve a wardrobe that stood in one of the upstairs rooms. On this wardrobe were carved pictures of his adventures as a way of helping Professor Kirke remember. He hoped that one day the wardrobe would allow him back into Narnia.

Alas, that had not happened, but nevertheless it is this wardrobe that forms the beginning of our story.

Now the day after the children had arrived was a particularly rainy day, which did not help with the children's impressions of their move to the countryside. All four of them sat in the boys' bedroom playing a word game that Susan – the second eldest and probably the smartest – had created.

"Come on Peter, Gastro vascular." Susan had said the same word three times now and she was beginning to get exasperated.

"Is it latin?" Peter asked, boredom lacing his voice.

Edmund hazarded a guess, though it was dripping with sarcasm. "Is it latin for 'worst game ever invented'?"

Susan rolled her eyes, while Peter – though always the serious one, as he was the oldest – chuckled slightly.

"Why don't we play hide and seek?" Lucy suggested.

Peter nodded. "That's a good idea Lu." Susan also nodded.

Edmund, however, snorted. "I'm not playing a stupid kids game."

"Come on Ed, it's fun." Lucy – ever the innocent one – really wanted them all to play together. "Please."

"No, and stop being such a whinny brat."

Now one might thing that Edmund was being immensely cruel to his sister, who had done absolutely nothing wrong and in part, he was. But Edmund also had a reason for acting the way that he did. You see, when Edmund had recently started to attend a new school, Canon Prep in London. At this new school, were a group of boys who disliked Edmund, for reasons unknown, and as a result, bullied him. At first, Edmund had tried to tell his mother of this, but she had been too busy with worry over their father who was serving in the war. He had then tried to tell Peter, but he had been too busy trying to be the 'man of the house' in his father's absence. Finally, he had tried to tell Susan, but she had been too preoccupied with her friends and potential boyfriends to be bothered about her younger brother. This coupled with the fact that all three of them still seemed perfectly able to entertain Lucy's childish fantasies and games, no matter how busy they were, made Edmund feel very ignored and hurt. As a result, he had become immensely angry and spiteful towards his siblings for refusing to acknowledge him while at the same time demanding that he acknowledge them.

His siblings knew none of this though, only acknowledging the fact that Edmund had been acting rather beastly the last couple of months, Peter and Susan making sure that they reprimanded him every time he lashed out, without listening to Edmund's reasons. This was only making Edmund even more angry and spiteful.

Peter gaped at his brother, not expecting him to lash out at Lucy for such a simple request. His own anger boiled. "Take that back Edmund."

But Edmund would not back down. He had had enough. Why should he put up with Lucy's childish whims when they couldn't be bothered to acknowledge him when it pertained to a much more serious issue? "Make me."

Striding forward, Peter grabbed Edmund's collar roughly and pushed him against the wall. "Say you're sorry."

"No."

With that one word, Peter's restraint broke. His fist collided with Edmund's jaw, knocking the younger boy to the floor.

"PETER!" Both Lucy and Susan were shocked at their older/oldest brother's actions.

Edmund cradled his now throbbing jaw, tears collecting in his eyes as he stared at the one person that he used to look up to but who now angered him more than anyone in the world. "You're a hypocrite"

Peter, who had been in shock at his actions, blinked and turned his head to where his younger brother now laid, "Wh...What?"

Edmund pushed himself up with one arm and stood. "I said you're a hypocrite. You tell me off so many times for not 'caring about Lucy's feelings'" He used air quotes. "Or not listening to you and Susan, but none of you ever care about my feelings. None of you ever listen to me." Pausing for a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes, he continued. "You believe me to be a beast ever since I started Canon, but none of you ever asked why? All the times I came home with a black eye or a split lip, and you all just brushed it aside. But the truth is, I was being bullied. And I tried to tell you and mum, but you were always too busy. So I thought, 'why should I listen to them if they won't listen to me, why should I care?' and even then you didn't catch on. Every time I did something wrong, you would yell at me, but you would never ask why because you don't really care" His voice broke, and he slumped back down to the floor. "You used to, but you don't now"

By now, all three siblings had tears in their eyes from listening to Edmund's story.

"Edmund..." Susan stepped toward her younger brother, her arm stretched out in an attempt to comfort him, but Edmund flinched away, his anger returning. Standing, he glared at all three of them in turn. "Don't pretend to care now." Turning, he ran from the room, tears once again falling down his face.

AN: Well that's the first chapter showing Edmund's feelings which will play into his reasoning for his actions later. The next chapter will focus on Ed finding the wardrobe and therefore Narnia. I hope you liked this chapter! Please review, it's like candy to me!

Thanks for reading!

Holly


	2. Edmund Looks Into A Wardrobe

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: Wow! Just, wow! I am so bowled over by the amount of reviews I've gotten for this fic in such a short space of time, and all of them extremely kind! I thank you all so much for your support, it's just making me want to write more and more (And I was already very enthusiastic about this story, being a major Edmund fan). As a result, you get chapter two today! However, I won't always be updating every day.

Now, a few of you have asked whether Edmund is going to meet Mr Tumnus when he first goes through the wardrobe. To be honest, I wasn't going to have them meet at first as I'm making this story very AU in terms of the first book, as you can see in the summary; Edmund is the first in Narnia, not Lucy, and he doesn't come back, only meeting his siblings one earth year (many Narnian years) later. Because of this, I was going to have Edmund meet two OC animals instead. However, because of all your reviews, and because I like Mr Tumnus, I've changed my mind, though the OC animals will still be making an appearance because I like them too.

Chapter Two: Edmund looks into a Wardrobe.

After leaving his siblings in what can only be described as a state of shock, Edmund found himself wondering around the large country house, trying to find a place where he could sit by himself for a while to sort through his feelings, but ending up just getting very lost.

With a small sigh, he slumped against one of the walls in the corridor that he was walking through, and placed his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. It wasn't really anywhere secretive, meaning that his siblings could find him at any time – which Edmund really didn't want – but it would have to do.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Edmund gently pressed his jaw with a finger but quickly took it away with a flinch. He wondered how Peter had gotten such a good right hook. He also wondered how Peter could lash out so rashly at him when he told Edmund himself not to even verbally lash out, never mind physically. But the answer quickly came to him; it was because Peter just didn't care. Neither did Susan or Lucy – at least that's how Edmund thought – they just acted like it because they felt like they had to.

Edmund couldn't help but let out a small dark chuckle. Well, they didn't have to pretend now, because now, Edmund knew the truth.

But the fact was that Edmund didn't know the truth. Far from it actually.

Peter did care. He cared about Edmund so much that sometimes it physically hurt. It was just that, despite his tough demeanour, Peter Pevensie was scared. He was scared that this war would somehow take his younger brother away from him and so had pushed him away as a safety mechanism. But now Peter realised that he may have pushed his sibling away too much, to the point where he was going to lose Edmund anyway, even if it wasn't to the war. Peter just hoped that it wasn't too late to fix things.

Susan too cared. She just found herself so caught up in trying to maintain her popularity and status, that she hadn't been able to realise how much pain her younger brother was actually in, until it was too late. She too hoped that they would be able to fix things.

Lucy definitely cared. She had always been the closest to Edmund out of all the siblings, Edmund being the one who, when they were younger, had always done everything to keep her happy and make sure that she was ok. But as the older siblings had also started to do this, while also ignoring Edmund's needs, Lucy had felt Edmund pulling away until he'd become the person he was now; hurt and lonely. And even though Lucy had actually done nothing to hurt Edmund, she still felt bad for not noticing his pain sooner and trying to do something to help. Just like her other two older siblings, Lucy hoped that everything would soon be ok.

It was because of these reasons, because they did care, that the three Pevensie children were currently scouring the house to find their brother. Unfortunately for them, as Mrs Macready had gone outside to do some gardening – for it had now stopped raining – and had left the back door open, this led the children outside, as opposed to the upstairs floor where their brother actually resided. Had they instead gone upstairs, then this story may have played out differently, but as it was, they went outside and therefore the story went like this.

As the siblings were scouring the surrounding area of the manor, wondering where their brother could have possibly gone and if perhaps, he had ran away – they each thought of this with a heavy heart –, Edmund had stopped crying and was currently picking himself up off the dusty floor. Having been unable to find a 'safe haven' in the house, he had had the idea to go outside into the garden, perhaps to find a large tree that he could sit in to think.

Again the story may have played out differently had Edmund gone through with this idea, but as it so happened, as he picked himself up off the floor, he noticed a small sliver of light seeping through a small crack between one of the doors of the hallway and its doorframe. Curiosity took over Edmund as he wondered why Mrs Macready would have left one of the doors unlocked. Hoping to find something of use within the room, either a 'safe haven' like he had originally wanted or something fun to do to take his mind off his siblings, Edmund went to have a look.

Slowly pushing the door open, its hinges creaking with rust which told Edmund that this room was barely used, he slipped inside. He was disappointed however, to find nothing but a large object covered in a white sheet. Curiosity again took over, causing Edmund to pull the white sheet to the floor, revealing an ornate, beautifully carved wardrobe.

Then, in an action that Edmund to this day does not understand unless by the pull of magic (after all, it was just a wardrobe), Edmund stepped inside, pushing his way through the countless fur coats and his feet crunching on what he could only think to be moth balls.

But then something strange happened. For all the time that Edmund was walking through the wardrobe, he kept his arm out straight, for it was dark and he did not want to bump into the back of the wardrobe. Except, there was no back of the wardrobe. Step after step that Edmund took, he was expecting himself to eventually feel wood pressing against his fingertips.

Moments passed, and then suddenly, he did feel wood pressing up against him. Except, it wasn't the wood he had thought he would find and it was certainly pressing against more than his fingertips. For instead of a wood panel, Edmund instead found himself being accosted by the branches of trees, trees that seemingly belonged to a snowy forest in the back of the wardrobe.

Edmund was gobsmacked. Turning, he could clearly see the small sliver of light that was the wardrobe door (for one knew it was silly to shut one's self in a wardrobe) and yet by turning the other way, he could also clearly see a vast expanse of forest. It was just unimaginable!

It was at this point that Edmund also realised that the 'moth balls' he had been standing on was actually snow. Real snow!

While Edmund had been hoping to find a 'safe haven' away from his siblings, this is certainly not what he had expected. Nevertheless, it was certainly a place where he could get away for a while, which was what he wanted at that moment in time, and so Edmund decided that he would explore this strange land that he had found for a while.

He did, however, make one little trip back to the wardrobe to grab one of the fur coats to keep him warm, justifying that 'he wasn't even taking it out of the wardrobe', before he trekked deeper into the woods to explore.

It was only a few minutes into his exploration when he came across a very peculiar object.

A lamppost, in a wood.

As he stood staring at it, wondering why it was there and what kind of land he had walked into, and also which way to go next, he heard the sound of someone else's feet crunching in the snow. Moments later, a strange creature stepped out from behind the trees.

Edmund noted that the creature looked suspiciously like a creature he had come across in one of his fantasy books; a faun. Its legs were like a goats, covered with glossy black hair, while it's body was that of a man. On its head, there were also horns, and wrapped up in one arm – perhaps to keep it from trailing in the snow – was a tail. But what Edmund found odd about the creature was that it was wearing a red woollen muffer around its neck and held an umbrella in one hand, and a load of parcels in the other.

When it saw Edmund, it gave such a yell of fright that it dropped all of the parcels it was carrying covering them in fluffy white snow. If Edmund didn't know any better, he'd say that the faun looked like it had been doing Christmas shopping.

"Goodness gracious me!" exclaimed the Faun, staring at Edmund as if he was the mythical creature.

To say that Edmund Pevensie himself was in shock, would be an understatement.

AN: And that's the second chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. I used the description of Mr Tumnus from the book and just used my own wording, I hope that's ok. The next chapter will feature Edmund at Mr Tumnus's house for tea. But then, a cliffhanger!

Thanks for reading!

Please Review!

Holly.


	3. What Edmund Found There

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: Wow! I am so overwhelmed by the amount of reviews I have gotten for this story. Thank you so much guys! Keep it up!

Chapter Three: What Edmund Found There.

"Um...hello?" Edmund was not quite sure what one should say to a creature that one never thought to have existed before.

"Good evening, good evening" Said the faun with a little bow after it had picked up its parcels. "Excuse me – I don't want to be inquisitive – but should I be right in thinking that you are a son of Adam?" One of its little furry eyebrows was raised in question.

It took Edmund a moment to understand what the faun was asking, having to recall the information from his religious studies. "You mean like Adam and Eve?"

"Yes, yes" The faun replied. "I mean to say that, you are human?"

"Of course" Edmund replied.

"To be sure, to be sure" Said the faun. "How stupid of me! But I have never seen a son of Adam or a daughter of Eve before. I am delighted. That is to say –" It seemed to catch itself from saying something it shouldn't just in time. "Delighted, delighted. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr Tumnus"

"Pleased to meet you" Edmund replied, holding his hand out for the faun to shake. "I'm Edmund, Edmund Pevensie" For you see, without his siblings around, Edmund was actually quite a polite young man.

Mr Tumnus shook it, a small smile on his face. He then asked. "And how, may I ask Edmund, have you come to Narnia?"

"Narnia?" Edmund had never heard of such a place in all his life. If someone back home had asked him about a place called Narnia, he would have thought them to be mad. But alas, he was talking to a faun, who he had met after stepping into a land beyond a wardrobe, so if anyone was mad, Edmund would have to guess it to be himself.

"This, all around you, is Narnia" Mr Tumnus told him. "Every stick and stone, branch and home from here to the eastern sea where the great castle of Cair Paravel lies, is Narnia." He paused slightly, before adding. "I take it you haven't been here before."

Edmund shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, but I haven't."

Mr Tumnus smiled. "Then allow me to invite you for a spot of tea and I can tell you all about the world of Narnia. It really is quite a fascinating place."

Edmund knew he probably shouldn't trust a mythical creature that he had not known existed and had only known for five minutes, but he wasn't quite ready to go back to his siblings yet and Narnia had turned out to be a safe haven that Edmund could have only dreamed of.

"Thank you Mr Tumnus. That would be lovely." Edmund was never one to turn down a good cup of tea.

"Let us be off then" The faun said with a small laugh, causing Edmund to laugh as well. Walking in step with each other, they began their journey to Mr Tumnus' home.

They had not travelled far before they came upon a small hillside with a wooden door in the centre. It looked to be a very strange sight, but as soon as Mr Tumnus opened the door and they had walked inside, Edmund could see that it was actually Mr Tumnus' home and actually quite homely indeed. There was a log fire that crackled gently, warming Edmund up immediately, and on the table a pot of tea and plate of cake was quickly put there.

He was quickly ushered to a very comfortable arm chair and given a cup of tea and a slice of cake. It was the complete opposite of Edmund's life back home. The professor's house was large and quite cold in terms of the plain decor and uninviting atmosphere, while Mr Tumnus' home was cosy, warm and inviting. Also, with his siblings, Edmund always felt quite excluded and unwelcome, but with Mr Tumnus, he felt like, even though he had only known him for a matter of minutes, he had a true friend.

"So Edmund." Mr Tumnus said once he had also sat down. "Why did you come here to Narnia?"

"Well, I did find it by accident, but really I just wanted to get away from my siblings for a while." Edmund replied with a sigh, his mind going back to the horrible argument he'd had with his siblings. Pressing a finger to where his jaw had been hurting however, he was surprised to find that it was not at all sore. Edmund guessed that this might be something to do with having come to Narnia, which seemed to be a place that breathed on magic. This, in fact, was true. For if Edmund had looked into a mirror, he would have found his jaw to look perfectly fine, as if Peter had never hit him in the first place.

"Your siblings?" Mr Tumnus' head cocked to the side slightly, watching as Edmund probed his jaw and wondering why he was doing that. "Do tell."

"I just don't feel appreciated back home" Edmund eventually said after taking a moment to marvel in the fact that his jaw had miraculously healed. "Like I'm only there because of someone else's needs or selfish wants and not because they actually care. Like I'm just there to be used."

There was a strange emotion on Mr Tumnus' face, but Edmund couldn't quite work out what it was. If he had to say, it looked to be regret, but what would Mr Tumnus be regretting, he wondered.

"For once, I just want a true friend. Someone who cares about me for who I am and not just because I'm there. Someone who's not fake." A few tears slipped down Edmund's face as he was talking and he could swear that he saw tears in Mr Tumnus' eyes too.

Mr Tumnus was quiet for a moment and then he said. "You have three siblings don't you Edmund?"

Edmund nodded. "A brother and two sisters. Why?"

Mr Tumnus stood, and the strange emotion was gone, instead replaced by determination and courage. "You have to go."

"What?" Edmund was confused now, and also a little bit hurt. He thought he'd found a friend in Mr Tumnus, but it now seemed that he may have been wrong.

"You have to go" Mr Tumnus repeated. "Before the Witch finds you."

"I'm sorry. I don't understand." Edmund said as Mr Tumnus ushered him out of the door. "Mr Tumnus, please explain!"

The faun looked around for a moment before he bent down and whispered in Edmund's ear. "There is an evil witch who rules Narnia. I was supposed to take you to her, but I can't. In the short time I've known you Edmund Pevensie, I see you as my friend."

Edmund couldn't help but smile at that. He wasn't wrong after all. But despite the warm feeling that that admission gave him, he couldn't help but feel slightly chilled by the thought of someone being after him.

"This is why you need to go." Mr Tumnus continued to whisper. "You need to get to Aslan before she gets to you. Only with Aslan's help can you find safety again."

"But Mr Tumnus, I have to go home." Edmund was slightly wishing he hadn't found Narnia now that he knew someone was after him.

"You can't" Mr Tumnus told him. "You have to get to Aslan. It is your destiny."

Edmund shook his head. "But I don't understand."

"You will soon enough." Mr Tumnus whispered, before pulling his head away from Edmund's ear and pushing him toward the woods they came through. "Run. Run and don't look back."

Edmund shook his head once more. "No. You have to come with me. I can't do this on my own."

"I promise that you will find others along the way who will help you. If I come with you, there is more chance that the witch will find us." Mr Tumnus did not want to face the Witch's wrath, but he knew that he had to try his best to get Edmund to Aslan safely.

"I don't care" Edmund replied. "I'm not leaving you. You're my friend."

Mr Tumnus smiled and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Then we must run quickly."

Edmund nodded, and together they took off into the forest. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before they could hear the howl of wolves.

The wolves were part of the witch's secret police, their sole job being to capture anyone who defied the witch or was a threat to her hold on Narnia. They were merciless creatures who would stop at nothing and no-one to carry out the witch's commands. If the witch sent her wolves after you, you didn't expect to live long.

Moments later, they were surrounded.

* * *

><p>Well, I hope you liked the third chapter! Thanks again for all your support! Please review!<p>

Thanks for reading!

Holly


	4. Edmund in Narnia

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: Thank you so much guys for all your reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter Four: Edmund in Narnia.

Looking around, Edmund counted the wolves. There were six, each of them slinking out from behind a tree and then circling them, so that there was no escape. For the fact that neither Edmund nor Mr Tumnus had any sort of weapon, or even a way to defend themselves, Edmund grasped the first thing he could find – which turned out to be a large, heavy branch. A thing that, in the right hands, could actually be used for attack – and faced his attackers. Mr Tumnus however, stood silent and unmoving. Edmund could tell that the faun was very scared.

The wolf closest to him laughed, bearing his pearly white, razor sharp teeth. His fur was already matted with blood before the fight even began, which made him look even more menacing than a wolf normally would look. "Is that all you've got?"

Deciding that he'd worry about talking wolves later – for a faun was one thing, but talking wolves were another – Edmund quickly took a defensive position.

"I'm not impressed son of Adam, but if you come quietly, we won't be forced to attack you." The one who had laughed at him spoke again.

"Come where?"

"To Queen Jadis. She has a use for you." The sadistic smile on the wolf's face told Edmund all he needed to know – even if he hadn't already heard about it from Mr Tumnus – and he would not be used for evil.

"No." The tone of Edmund's voice said that there was no room for argument, causing the wolf to grin sadistically – for he would much rather kill Edmund and Mr Tumnus than take them to the witch – and say, "Your choice" before all six wolves leant back on their hind quarters and pounced. Edmund, however, wasn't going down without a fight and quickly began swinging at them. He managed to give two a good knock to the head, but he was quickly overpowered.

It seemed like Edmund and Mr Tumnus were in the last moments of their lives when suddenly two foxes jumped into the battle, taking down a wolf each before they took a protective stance in front of Edmund and Mr Tumnus. Seeing that their advantage was slowly decreasing, the three remaining wolves backed away but the one who had talked, seemingly the leader, stood his ground. "What are you doing?" He growled at the other three.

"Maugrim..."

Maugrim was in fact the leader of the secret police. He was also the witch's second in command, and the most feared of all the wolves. He was never one to back down from a fight, always wanting to fight to the death – usually the death of his opponent – but this time decided otherwise. He snarled at Edmund, "We'll finish this later," before padding away into the forest, the others following.

Edmund let out the breath he was holding while Mr Tumnus unfroze from his fear induced silence. "We better go." The faun whispered. "Before they decide to come back."

Edmund nodded and went to move, but ended up gasping at a sharp pain that erupted in his side. Looking down, he saw that he had three deep scratches in his side, a small claw embedded in one of them.

"Hold still." Said a voice, and Edmund looked down to see one of the foxes who had helped them tending to his wound. "I said hold still" The fox repeated with a sigh. He was silent for a moment before he stepped away. "Done. Now that wasn't so bad."

Edmund looked down to see his side bandaged, the little fox tucking its things back into a small pouch that hung by its side. "Thank you" He whispered, his voice laced with gratitude.

"No problem." The fox smiled. "But we need to get you somewhere safe, son of Adam, preferably to Aslan."

The fox went to move away, but Edmund wanted more answers, he was confused and tired and no-one seemed to be telling him everything that he felt he needed to know. "Ok, I've heard about this Aslan from Mr Tumnus, but who is he?"

The fox stopped. Turning around, it looked at Edmund and gaped, its little brown eyes wide with shock. "Where in Narnia have you been?" It sounded like it couldn't believe that Edmund didn't know who Aslan was; for he was the king of Narnia and everyone knew the name Aslan.

"Um...not Narnia." Edmund replied with a sheepish smile while Mr Tumnus nodded in confirmation.

"Oh dear," the other fox whispered, its own little brown eyes wide with shock. "We must get him to Aslan at once."

"Seriously. Who's Aslan?" Edmund was beginning to get annoyed at the fact that no-one would give him a clear cut answer to any of his questions.

The first fox shook its head, padding away from Edmund and Mr Tumnus and to the trees, its partner following behind. "On the way dear, on the way. Maugrim may come back."

The sun had set and night had settled itself on England. Everyone soon began to lock up and tuck themselves and their families into bed. This was not the case however for the Kirke household where Edmund had seemingly vanished.

After finding nothing to even indicate where Edmund had gone, let alone Edmund himself, outside, the siblings had moved inside the house, but had similarly found nothing.

Little did they know that the room that they had walked by many times but barely glanced at was actually the room that held the secret to Edmund's location. Had they gone inside, they may have found the portal to Narnia closed, but they may have also found it open, allowing them to find their missing sibling. As it was however, they never even spared it a glance, deeming it empty and useless and therefore not somewhere that Edmund would go, and so, regardless of whether the portal was open or not, they had no chance of finding him.

With each passing moment, the siblings were finding themselves more and more worried; Peter especially.

He had never meant to be so hard on Edmund and was now completely regretting his actions. His mother had told him to protect his siblings, and he had gone so far as to push one away completely. This had never been Peter's intention. Yes, there was reason to fault Edmund, his bratty behaviour, seeming childish and annoying, had gotten on Peter's nerve which is what made him lash out at Edmund that day. But Peter knew that he was also at fault. Firstly, Edmund should not have been so angry and felt the need to rebel had Peter not refuted Edmund's attempts to get his attention and tell him what was really wrong, and secondly, regardless of how annoyed Peter had been at Edmund, violence was never the answer.

Peter just hoped he could find Edmund and fix it, before he was too late.

If only Peter knew that perhaps it was already too late.

"So Aslan is the king of Narnia? The true king?" Edmund asked, looking at the first fox, whose name he'd learned was Yasma. They were trying to teach him about Narnia. "And I'm supposed to help you defeat an evil witch, posing as queen, who has enslaved you all and covered Narnia in an eternal winter?"

The trees were covered in a slowly melting snow, a sign that the balance of power was tipping in Aslan's favour – apparently because of him – but it was still bitterly cold.

Yasma nodded that he was correct, prompting Edmund to continue. "But I'm not supposed to be able to do this without my brother and sisters – who aren't here, and so we have to go to Aslan to find out why – after which, we will all become the Kings and Queens of Narnia?"

"That's the basics, yeah."

"But how am I supposed to help you win a war? I'm just a boy." Edmund was still not completely convinced that they'd got the right person.

Yasma looked around uncertainly, watching the trees as if they were alive – though for all Edmund knew, they were, after all, this was a magical land – before saying. "Not now. Aslan will explain everything, but right now we must focus on keeping you safe, young prince.

Prince. Edmund certainly liked the sound of that. And for once in his young life, Edmund felt needed. For once, he felt loved.

Nodding, he then said. "So what's Narnia like normally? You know, when it's not war and eternal winter. I bet it's beautiful."

"Well." The other fox, whose name was Corin, said. "I've not seen it first hand, but I heard that it is very beautiful, what with flowers blooming, no-one living in fear and the festivities that apparently go on for days."

"My father always used to say that it was best in spring." Mr Tumnus said. "The dryads would sing to the trees and flowers to help them grow and pollinate, the centaurs would perform sword dances at the spring festival and the fauns would play music all night long."

Edmund smiled, imagining what all that would have looked like, even though he didn't yet know what exactly dryads and centaurs were. "It sounds magical."

"I'm sure it was." Mr Tumnus replied, but then his smile faded, sadness clouding his eyes. "But then, everything changed."

"Well." Edmund paused, searching for the right wording. "I'm not sure how much help I'll actually be, but I promise that I will do my best to make sure that Narnia is once more returned to its rightful glory."

The young boy, faun and pair of foxes all smiled widely at each other, all of them thinking about how nice Narnia would be once it was free from the witch's tyranny, unaware of the danger that they would face in the battle for that freedom.

And that's the end of chapter four! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!

Holly


	5. The Journey To Aslan's Camp

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: Thank you so much guys for all your reviews and alerts, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry it's kinda late, I've been really busy, but I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter Five: Journey to Aslan's Camp.

"Why do you need to see Aslan?"

Edmund suppressed a yawn as he stared at the magnificent horse in wonder. They had been travelling for four hours and Edmund – who wasn't as used to travelling on foot as the Narnians were – was feeling rather exhausted. He did not, however, want to insult the beast that easily towered over him.

"Edmund here," Corin nudged him slightly. "Is a son of Adam, Phillip, with a brother and two sisters."

Phillip gasped slightly, realising the urgency of the matter, before saying. "Where are the other three?"

"Back in England," Edmund told him, "I'm the only one who came," and in some ways, Edmund was glad for that.

"We're not sure what it means though." Yasma added, and despite her size in relation to Phillip, she spoke with an air of confidence. "So we desperately need to see Aslan."

Phillip nodded. "Of course. Let's go then."

Edmund also nodded and began to walk away from Phillip with Yasma and Corin, Mr Tumnus slightly behind them. But the horse did not follow, instead clearing his throat.

Edmund turned and looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Phillip flicked his head at Edmund's right leg. "You're hurt." He'd obviously noticed Edmund favouring it slightly – though it was not in its own right hurt – as it helped to ease the pain in his hip from the wolves' claw marks. "And even so," Phillip continued, "It's not proper to allow royal personage to walk great distances when other methods are available, even when healthy. And it will be hours before we reach Aslan."

"But..." Edmund stuttered, unable to comprehend Phillip's words. Yasma and Corin had told his that Narnian animals were much prouder than earths; the horses especially.

"I know what you're thinking Mr Prince, but I insist." Phillip told him with a smile. "Infact, I take it upon myself to be your personal steed, highness. It would be my honour."

Edmund smiled and tried to compose himself. "Then unless I want to offend your honour – which I don't – I will take your offer...my friend."

Both horse and boy smiled as Phillip bent down, allowing Edmund to mount, before standing once more.

"Hold on tight."

And then they raced off into the trees.

* * *

><p>"Where could he have gone?" Susan wondered with a sigh. It was four in the morning, and none of the Pevensie's could sleep. Their minds were too focused on their brother.<p>

Lucy's eyes fluttered open from where she lay on her bed. "If we knew, we would have found him."

"I wasn't being literal Lucy!" Susan snapped.

Peter groaned. "I think we all just need to calm down." He let out the breath he'd been holding. "We're not going to find Edmund this way."

"And we wouldn't have to find him if you hadn't pushed him away!" Susan snapped once more.

Peter growled. "I'm not the only one at fault here Susan!"

"You're his older brother! You're the one he's supposed to go to when he needs someone!"

"What? So he can't count on his older sister?" Peter shouted. "He's supposed to go to me over you, and so it's all my fault?"

"Both of you shut up!" Lucy screamed. Peter and Susan froze; it wasn't like Lucy to lose her temper, always the quiet and kind hearted one.

Tears fell from the youngest Pevensie's eyes, her voice hard yet breaking as she said. "Enough. Both of you are as much at fault as the other." She looked at her oldest sibling first. "Peter, you were hurt by dad leaving and you not being able to do anything about it and Edmund knew that, but you were so focused on your own pain that you didn't see how much you were hurting Edmund." Then she turned to her older sister. "Susan, you were so obsessed with your popularity that you could see that Edmund was hurting, that he needed you."

"How do you know all this?" Susan whispered, her voice also breaking.

"Because he told me..." Lucy sank to the bed she had risen from as she'd screamed. "Because he trusted me..." She closed her eyes and sobbed softly. "And even I didn't do anything to help him."

* * *

><p>Nearly three hours later, the four Narnian's and Edmund were still bounding onward towards the great lion Aslan and Edmund was surprised that they had not yet tired.<p>

"...and I've been in service of Aslan ever since." Phillip finished. He had been telling Edmund of his past and especially how Aslan had saved him from the witch's tyranny.

"Wow." Edmund whispered, imagining what Aslan looked like. He was sure it wouldn't even be half like the real thing.

Shifting slightly and cracking his neck so that he was more comfortable, Edmund asked. "How much farther?"

"About an hour my prince. Why?" Phillip slowed and craned his head backward so that he was able to look at Edmund. "Are you in pain?"

Edmund smiled at his concern. "A meagre amount I assure you. I am merely curious." Then he lay himself forward so that his head was lying on Phillip's neck and sighed, lips pulled into a frown.

"Something's bothering you." Phillip observed, noticing how Edmund was chewing his lip.

"It's nothing." Edmund murmured as he thought. 'Do they miss me yet?' His heart clenched. 'Or are they glad I'm gone?'

"I think not" Phillip replied with a whicker as he quickened his pace once more.

Edmund's eyes became downcast, lost in the painful memories that haunted him. "I just... do you think that they miss me?"

"Your siblings?" The Narnian horse questioned and, at Edmund's nod, continued. "I would not know sire for I have never met them. But from what I have heard, I am sure they do. It appears to me that they are merely hurting themselves for one reason or another and are therefore unaware of your own plight."

"But isn't that the point?" Edmund whispered. "Aren't siblings supposed to watch out for each other and not cause more pain?"

Multiple tears fell from the young boy's eyes and fell upon the crisp snow, sinking and becoming invisible; much like the boy himself felt when amongst his siblings. "I've tried my hardest to help them, but it gets harder and harder each day that they ignore me or shout at me for acting out without asking me why I did so. It hurts Phillip, it really does."

Phillip nodded. "I know young one. I know. But by Aslan's mane, it will get better. I promise you that. Time flows differently in Narnia. You will soon forget the pain."

Edmund looked startled. "I don't want to forget them."

Phillip chuckled. "Then you must forgive..."

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Please review!<p>

Holly


	6. Aslan's Camp

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long; I have no excuse. Please forgive me and enjoy this long chapter!

Chapter Six: Aslan's Camp

Edmund's eyes were drooping slowly as the small group trudged through the dense trees, but as they broke through the clearing, his eyes lit up and he broke into a smile.

"Is that what I think it is?" He asked, referring to the brightly coloured tents that filled the large grassy field.

"It is" Phillip replied, smiling also. "Edmund Pevensie, welcome to Aslan's camp."

At this, Yasma, Corin and Mr Tumnus also broke out into smiles, all fatigue gone.

They proceeded to the camp, but were quickly stopped by a man with the body of a horse and a large sword strapped to his side. Edmund recognised the man as a mythical creature called a centaur.

"Oreius" Phillip greeted. "Meet Edmund Pevensie, son of Adam, foxes Corin and Yasma, and faun Mr Tumnus."

Edmund was shocked by the creature's height. How in the world was he supposed to live with these creatures who could easily kill him?

Oreius' eyes widened. "The prophesy?" Phillip nodded. "But what of the other three?"

"Edmund is the only one who came." Yasma said.

Oreius' eyebrows creased in confusion. "Aslan must know about this." He turned to walk away when Phillip called him. "Maybe Edmund can have a rest first and some food. We've travelled all the way from the lantern waste."

Oreius nodded. "Of course. The food tent is over there." He pointed to a large green tent. "And I will get someone to make him a bed."

Shaken from his awe, Edmund smiled. "Thank you."

Oreius also smiled. "My pleasure young prince." And then he trudged off into the hustle and bustle of the camp.

Yawning slightly, Edmund dismounted – albeit clumsily – from Phillip, and together the five friends entered the food tent where they found a marvellous array of food.

For the next hour, Edmund busied himself with trying many a Narnian delicacy and was extremely surprised when he was told that there were many more, they just weren't able to get all the supplies for them due to the war.

At this, Edmund had laughed. What appeared to be Narnian rations were a far stretch from England's meagre ones. To him, it was a feast, not a fast.

He had also spent a lot of time conversing with many different creatures and had found them all to be extremely welcoming. It was a far stretch from his siblings' unfeeling gazes.

He talked more with his companions too, and found that Mr Tumnus reminded him an awful lot about his younger sister; so innocent and carefree, Lucy could put a smile on anyone's face no matter what the decision, and Mr Tumnus appeared to do the same.

And despite sometimes faulting herself, Edmund did feel like Lucy was the only one in England he could fully trust. She was his confidant and friend as well as sister and he found his heart aching. How he wished Lucy could have been here with him.

But with a sigh, he realised the facts. She wasn't.

However, in some ways Edmund was glad for this fact for if Lucy had have been here, no doubt Susan and Peter would be too, and Edmund wanted this experience to be something that was just his. A place where he could be away from the cold intense stares and disappointment.

A place where he could truly be himself.

And even though he had been here for less than a day, Edmund already felt that Narnia was his home. 

Lucy Pevensie gazed into the distance, body rigid and eyes filled with tears. Susan sat next to her, arms wrapped around her younger sister in comfort.

"Where's Ed, Su?" Lucy whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. "Why won't be come home?"

Susan was in a similar state, her face blemished with red. "I don't know Luce, but I'm sure he's ok. I'm sure he'll come home." With hat statement, she looked over at Peter, who was slumped against a tree, silently watching the stars.

'Why? Why was I so blind?' Peter thought. 'Why couldn't I see that he was hurting?'

With a small sigh, Peter stood and began to walk around the gardens. 'Where are you Ed? I need you to come home.'

Slowly, Peter fell to his knees, tears pouring down his face.

'Please come home Ed. Please...please...'

In the distance, the professor watched the Pevensie's become drowned in their sorrows and wondered whether it was time to call their mother. 

Edmund stared up at the great red and gold pavilion that towered above him like a giant would stare at a goat.

Moments later, he lowered his head slightly and looked at the centaur who stood next to him. The centaur nodded and Edmund cautiously made his way inside, stopping only when his eyes caught the large lion that lay there. "Aslan."

The lion grinned and stood, his warm breath spilling over Edmund in comfort.

"Edmund Pevensie." Aslan rumbled, nose touching Edmund's cheek. "Welcome to Narnia. As you already know, I am Aslan."

Edmund found his mouth dry. Finally, he found his voice and stuttered. "Yes...your...your majesty."

Aslan chuckled. "Be at peace young one. I mean you no harm. I suspect you are confused, and as such, I will explain all."

"I..."

"Hush young prince. General Oreius has explained your situation to me and now I will explain to you why it is so important. Why you are so important."

Edmund could only nod as he remembered the fearsome but kind Centaur.

"Your companions have already told you some of our world and the prophesy but not all. I will fill in the gaps." 

The sun was low in the sky, announcing sunset with a red glow, when Edmund left Aslan's tent. He was quickly led to a tent where some night clothes lay and informed that he would start training the next day.

With a smile on his face, Edmund lay down to rest, excited about the next day's events and unaware of his siblings' turmoil. 

The next morning, Edmund was already awake and dressed, sitting in the food tent for breakfast and talking to a myriad of Narnian creatures.

"Your dam sounds very interesting Mr Beaver. I will have to see it when the war is over." Edmund was talking to Beaver at the moment when Phillip and a small faun walking in, beckoning to Edmund.

"If the war is over and I'm still alive." Beaver muttered darkly.

Edmund chuckled. "Keep faith in Aslan." He stood and motioned to Phillip and the faun. "If you will excuse me."

"Of course sire." The animals murmured, causing Edmund to chuckle again.

"I told you, it's Edmund."

The animals stayed silent.

"What's up Phillip?" Edmund asked the brown haired mare as he neared.

Phillip smiled. "Nothing is wrong my prince. We've just been told to take you on a tour of the camp. Aslan wants you to feel comfortable before you start training."

He then nodded to the faun. "This is Cee. She needs to take your measurements for your new clothing before you start training."

"Good morning." Edmund greeted the faun. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine sire. If you will follow me we will get you some new clothing, or at least the sizes for it."

All three chuckled as they left, heading to the armoury tent where Cee worked.

The tent was of medium height and plainly decorated, though still in the red and gold of Aslan.

Almost immediately, Edmund was shown a myriad of designs and told to pick out his favourites. After mulling them over for a few minutes, he finally chose some light blue pyjamas with a silver embroidered lion – these would be his signature colours – 2 sets of full body chain mail, leather boots, leather riding jerkins, a few silk shirts, a red and gold battle outfit, armour and some plain brown pants. This would be everything he needed for now.

After he'd chosen the designs, Cee took him in front of a mirror to measure, before ushering him and Phillip out so that she could work.

Once outside, Phillip and Edmund started their tour, riding bareback so that Edmund could get riding in preparation for the battle, while also keeping his energy for his later training.

Edmund was shown everything about the camp from the healers tent and the weapons store to the boundaries of the camp and sentry posts. By the time the young man arrived at the practice field to meet General Oreius, he found himself more relaxed, more safe, than he had done in a while.

While with Oreius, Edmund learnt many simple moves such as thrusts, parries and blocks as well as some more complicated ones. After training, they ran the full perimeter of the camp twice before cooling down.

"That was good." Oreius had praised. "You're a natural swordfighter."

Those comments were stuck in Edmund's head for hours after they had finished, such a comparision to what he had been subjected to back in England.

He was just ready to settle down for bed when Cee and Phillip entered his tent, holding three bags of clothes; daywear, nightwear and battlewear. They also had two pairs of leather boots.

Edmund smiled and thanked them before they stepped out; allowing him to change into his nightwear, which both faun and horse had said looked good on him.

He had thanked them before putting his old clothes on the small table beside his hammock, yawning. "I guess I'll see you both in the morning."

The Narnian's both nodded; Cee stepping over to the table and picking up Edmund's old clothes. "I'll just dispose of these for you."

"But..."

Cee frowned. "They are not proper Narnian wear, my liege, especially not for royalty. Besides, they would only be reminders of your past, ones which would stop you from becoming a true warrior."

Edmund stopped mid grab of the clothes, one hand bunched in them.

"You're right..." All his life, his siblings had berated him for doing a poor job of everything he did, and by Aslan's mane, he wouldn't do it now. Not when these people depended on him.

In a swift movement, he dropped the clothes he had bunched in his hand and in doing so, officially let go of his old life. 

Back in England, each Pevensie siblings felt a sharp stab in their heart which woke them from their slumber. While they didn't know exactly what the cause of this pain was, each of them has a sinking feeling that things would never be the same again.

Well I hope you all enjoyed that and it was worth the wait. Thank you so much for reading! Please review!


	7. Birthday

Edmund Pevensie: To be a King.

Summary: What if Edmund was the one who went through the wardrobe, not Lucy? What if he didn't return? A year later, the three remaining Pevensie's find Narnia and the brother they thought they had lost. But Edmund has changed and it will be a hard road back to where their family once was.

Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia! CS Lewis does.

Author's Note: Once again I am sorry for not updating. I lost my notepad with everything for this story in. But I am determined to finish it, so please enjoy a nice new chapter! :)

Chapter Seven: Birthday

As the sun made its way into the sky over the english countryside, the Pevensie family awoke, their hearts heavy though the day was new.

For the day was the day they usually celebrated the third child's birthday.

But alas, he was still gone, though it had been over a year since that fateful night.

It was Peter who woke first, eyes slowly opening as they adjusted to the light. He quickly searched for the calendar, hoping that it would prove him wrong, but no, today was the birthday of his lost brother.

"Ed…" He let out a small sob, before wiping his face clean and heading down for breakfast, hoping that the day would soon be over.

Susan was the next to wake,, though instead of searching for a calendar, she merely acted as if it were any other day. She slipped on her slippers and gown silently and then left the room.

It was as if Edmund wasn't gone.

Lucy was the last to wake, her eyes darting open and face lit up with a smile.

To her, it was still a special day and though her heart was heavy with guilt, much like her siblings', she wanted to celebrate.

Slipping on her own slippers and robe, she knelt next to the bed and pulled out a small, wrapped gift from beneath.

Racing into her brother's room, she placed it carefully on Ed's bed and whispered, "Happy birthday. I miss you," before leaving the room for breakfast.

In the distance, the feint roar of a lion sounded, a mystical breeze blowing over the bed, and the gift that was on it.

Despite the mixed emotions that each Pevensie felt, they all agreed to celebrate after tea, but no earlier.

Therefore when the rain came down, they all decided to play a simple game of hide and seek.

What they didn't know, was that this game would lead them closer to their lost brother.

* * *

><p>"67, 68, 69…" Peter's voice reverberated throughout the large house.<p>

Lucy twisted and turned looking for a hiding spot when she saw it; the small crack that signalled an unlocked door.

Smiling, Lucy ran to the door and went inside the room, but was disappointed to find nothing but a musty old wardrobe.

Despite it being the room's sole occupant however, Lucy felt inexplicably drawn to it.

Opening the door, Lucy grinned and stepped inside. Enclosing herself in complete darkness, she backed into the myriad of coats until she touched cold.

Shocked, she turned around and saw the most strangest thing.

A wood, covered in snow.

Turning again, she checked that she could still see the small opening she had left, before turning back to the wood. Lucy grinned as she made her way into the forestry, fingertips playing with branches topped in thick fluffy snow.

The trees thinned, revealing a clearing, and Lucy was surprised to see a lamp-post in the centre. Her attention was drawn back to the trees however when she heard the sound of hooves.

Spinning around to move back the way she came, Lucy found herself face to face with a creature that had the body of a man but the legs of a goat.

She screamed and jumped back, causing the creature to do the same.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." The creature spoke, moving to pick up the packages it had dropped. "My name is Mr Tumnus."

Lucy smiled, helping him with the parcels before offering her hand. "I'm Lucy."

Tumnus smiled and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you Lucy. Would you like to join me for some tea?"

Lucy grinned. "I'd love to."

* * *

><p>"99, 100. Ready or not, here I come." Peter called, uncovering his eyes and beginning the search for his two sisters.<p>

He was carefully looking in every possible hiding spot when he heard Lucy call out from the other end of the corridor.

"It's alright! I'm back! I'm alright!"

Peter chuckled and walked her way. "You know. I don't think you quite understand the rules of this game, Lu."

Lucy meanwhile looked extremely confused. "What do you mean? I've been gone for hours!"

"One game at a time Lu, we don't all have your imagination."

"But…"

Peter smiled and pointed to the window. "Look, it's stopped raining now. Let's go outside."

* * *

><p>"Peter winds up!" Peter yelled, throwing his hand forward and letting the ball go.<p>

"Ow." Lucy cried as the ball hit her leg.

Susan quickly checked her over before saying. "Come on Lu. Concentrate."

"Sorry, I just… I wasn't lying about Narnia…"

Peter sighed. "Lucy…"

"I wasn't…"

* * *

><p>Later that night when Lucy woke, she felt the tingle of magic in the air. With a grin, she slipped her wellingtons on and made her way back to the spare room where she'd found the wardrobe.<p>

Cautiously, she stepped towards the door and opened it, grin widening as a cold wind blew out the wax candle she had brought with her.

Stepping in, she was about to close the door when she saw Peter and Susan at the entrance to the room, calling her name.

With a smile to them, she left the door open and made her way into Narnia.

The trees seemed to welcome her back, their branches waving in the breeze, despite her siblings' grumblings coming from behind her.

As soon as she made her way into the clearing where the lamppost was, she stopped, waiting for her siblings to appear.

Eventually, they stumbled into the clearing, sheepish smiles on their faces as they looked at her.

"Would saying 'we're sorry' help?" Peter asked with a laugh.

"No," Lucy said, bending down and picking up a snowball. She hid it behind her back, holding a laugh as she watched their faces fall. "But this might." She let the snowball go, laughing aloud when it hit Peter in the face.

A snowball fight quickly ensued, ending only when all three were lying on the floor, covered in snow.

Lucy giggled. "That was fun."

"It was" Susan concurred before looking at Lucy. "We're really sorry Lu."

"It's fine," Lucy replied before standing. "Can we go see Mr Tumnus?"

Peter grinned. "Mr Tumnus it is!"

As soon as Susan had stood, the three children made their way to Mr Tumnus', Lucy leading the way.

When they got there however, they found a note taped to the door.

It read;

_Lucy,_

_I know you said that you would visit again and I am looking forward to it, but I have had to visit Cair Paravel for the King's birthday._

_If you have time however, you should visit the Cair._

_Every Narnian is welcome, along with guests, and I officially call you my guest._

_The map to Cair Paravel is on the back._

_Hope to see you there._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mr Tumnus._

Lucy couldn't help but grin. "Oh! A party! Peter, can we go?!"

"Why not?" Peter conceded. "It sounds like fun."

Lucy wasted no time in grabbing the map and starting off in the direction of the Cair, dragging her siblings behind her.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, at Cair Paravel, Mr Tumnus and the other Narnians were in the process of arriving, eager to celebrate the king's birthday.<p>

However, the king himself was not so eager, his mind revolving around much darker things.

"An invasion!" He let out a loud groan as he paced around his study, the centaur general Oreius and others from his team surrounding him. "The Telmarines are planning an invasion?! How? Why?"

A panther appeared from the shadows, addressing him. "My liege, my team overheard talk from the Telmarine camp. They say Narnians are no more than a myth, and that our land is barren but powerful."

The king growled. "Myth?! Barren?!" He paused, taking a deep breath, and acknowledged the panther. "Thank you Lyena. Your information is appreciated."

"What are we to do King Edmund?" Oreius asked. "Should we send everyone home and prepare for war?"

"No." Edmund quickly answered. "We don't want a full scale panic." He began to pace faster. "We'll double the sentry, perimeter, and castle guards, and make sure that we've got scouts watching the Telmarine camp. The events will go as planned. However, if the Telmarines are seen in central Narnia then we will reassess the situation. Once the festivities are over, I will call a war meeting. If that is all, I call this meeting adjourned."

With nods and bows, the Narnians began to file out of the room, but Edmund had turned away from them, his eyes drooped low, dark semi-circles beneath them. With a heavy sigh he poured himself a glass of brandy, before looking out of the window, eyes seeking the stars.

"Help me Aslan. For the first time in seven years, I am lost."

"Tell me son of Adam. Why are you lost?" Aslan asked, appearing behind the young king. "Have you not accomplished all you achieved to?"

"I have." Edmund paused. "But I feel that there may be too much for me to burden. I somehow regret defeating the white witch all those years ago."

Aslan raised an eyebrow. A strange thing for a lion to do. "You regret freeing all of Narnia?"

"No. Of course not." Edmund seemed appalled at the idea, but… "I simply regret making the journey alone."


End file.
